Kiriya's Return
by Laura Schiller
Summary: Just as the title says, a bit gloomy at first, but there's a happy ending. Honoka/ Kiriya.


Kiriya's Return

By Rostockgirl (Laura Schiller)

Series: Pretty Cure

Disclaimer: Pretty Cure does not belong to me.

Chapter 2: Honoka and Kiriya

A pearly moon lit up the streets of Tokyo as the neon signs flickered into life – the beginning of yet another night. The Tower was a blazing silhouette against the sky, but it artificial beauty still paled in comparison to the moon and the faraway stars.

The scent of chrysanthemums floated softly on the breeze sweeping the Yukishiro house. It was an old, elegant mansion in traditional Japanese style, made of wood and paper screens, and on the walkway in front of the house sat Honoka Yukishiro, her heart full of sorrow.

The air was heavy with rain, even after the thunderstorm earlier that day. A thundercloud moved across the moon, obscuring it and stealing the sparse light it gave. It was nights like that reminded her of Kiriya...she could never see it rain without thinking about him, that last day.

His confession – not of love, but of enmity – had torn her apart, as had the cold look in his eyes as they had fought among the hills, with the rain coming down in torrents and floods. It had been like the end of the world – the one boy who was special to her, trying to kill her, out of allegiance to the Dusk Zone and to avenge his older sister.

Had Nagisa not been there, she would have given up – Nagisa, the incurable optimist, encouraging her to go on in spite of her own grief. She was the best friend Honoka could ever wish for...but even she could do nothing about the pain that gripped Honoka day after day. She had learned how to disguise it, how to act cheerful around her friends and family, but it still hurt.

How many tears had dropped onto her pillow, or Chuutaro's fur, during the lonely knights? Too many to count.

She remembered his touch on her hand, complimenting her on the perfume she had made. The fierce joy and concentration on his face as he played soccer with the team. His shy smile...she had never even noticed how much she loved him until it was too late.

She felt transported back through time, into a sunlit cabbage field – her class trip to the farm, so many months ago. Kiriya, her assigned partner, had been using a knife to harvest the young plants, and accidentally cut himself. She had ripped up her handkerchief to make him a bandage, carefully tied it around his finger, and watched him smile at her through his curtain of forest-green hair. She still remembered the feeling of his warm hands touching hers.

Her hand closed around the cord he had worn his Prism Stone on; she still kept it in her pocket, even though the Stone had gone to its rightful place long ago. His last gift – an apology, as well as a sign of encouragement, and perhaps... something more.

She closed her eyes and daydreamed, as she had so often in the days after his passing. She dreamed that he was not really dead, that someday he would escape from the doom which he had called his destiny and find his way back to her. She could see him clearly in her mind's eye, running up to the gates of Verone Academy, or the Tako Cafe, or her house or wherever she happened to be. She and Nagisa would turn around – Nagisa would squeak in astonishment – he would stop short in front of them and say, "Good morning, Honoka-san...Nagisa-san. I'm sorry I took so long to come back."

And he would take her into his arms and everything would be all right again.

"Farewell."

The word fell from Kiriya's lips like a stone. He pressed Cure White's hands (with the Prism Stone in them) one more time, then turned away.

Ilkubo was waiting, a silent pale column of death, as Kiriya had known he would. There was no way to betray the Dark King and live – but he knew that he loved Honoka more than anything in the world – he would rather die as her friend than live forever as her enemy. By giving her the Stone, he wanted to erase at least part of the hurt and grief he saw in her eyes.

Walking into the dark tunnel of Ilkubo's cloak, he looked back one more time. Cure White – Honoka – returned his gaze with wide, shimmering eyes.

"Don't go!" she pleaded, half-choked with tears. "_Kiriya-kun!!!_"

Her last piercing scream echoed through the air as the darkness began to consume him...

Suddenly he found something solid under his feet, earth perhaps, and he could see where he was: the familiar Dark Kingdom, with its ruler towering above it and fixing him with a malevolent yellow glare. He was not so much a person as a force of nature – an enormous, black-purple mountain of pure evil, bound by immense iron chains which, if they ever broke, would signal the end of the world.

And now...he clenched his jaw to keep from looking frightened...now the thing was angry with _him._

He was not ready to die yet, after all...

The Dark King spoke, in a thundering rumble of a voice which shook the ground, an elemental sound of fury which brought Kiriya to his knees.

"_You disobeyed me,"_ said the voice. _" I have no use for a traitor in my ranks. Valdez!"_

Valdez stepped forth from the torchlit shadows, smirking.

"_Punish him...punish him until he wishes he'd never been born. Then kill him."_

"With pleasure, my King."

Valdez took a step closer, then another. Kiriya closed his eyes; he'd never have thought that his life really would flash before them, but it was. His mother, brought home unconscious after a battle with the Garden of Light. Her funeral, with Poisonnée swearing revenge through tear-streaming eyes, himself too young to understand. His training, and his gradual indoctrination to the belief that his tribe deserved the rule of the world, because they were a superior race. Seeing Honoka for the first time...

Valdez was almost upon him when a ray of brilliant golden light suddenly pierced the gloom of the Kingdom, and the cold air grew warmer. Valdez froze, looking terrified and as if he would much rather run away, but didn't dare show cowardice to the King.

There was someone standing behind Kiriya; he could feel a warm, comforting presence and he turned around to see who it was.

He threw up an arm to shield himself from the light. It was a great Lady, tall and regal, dressed in a pure white gown and carrying the rose-colored outline of a heart in her right hand. Long golden hair fell loosely around her shoulders and her face was lovely beyond words. Kiriya stared at her, fascinated, but she was not looking at him; her ageless green eyes were directed at the Dark King.

"_Leave him,"_ she said, her voice like a silver church bell, echoing across the empty space. _"This boy is none of yours. Leave him."_

She means me, Kiriya realized.

"_He is my subject – Queen,"_ snarled the Dark King. _"And he has committed the sin of treason. He is mine, to dispose of as I wish."_

"_There can be no treason where there is love,_" the Queen of Light replied calmly. _"He has shown true courage, and a pure heart, in freeing himself from your false beliefs. His soul is already given to the power of Light. He is no subject of yours, Dark King."_

She bent down and very lightly brushed his forehead with her hand; he closed his eyes and knew no more...

Kiriya Erisawa, adopted son of Takeshi and Megumi Erisawa, was walking down a busy street in Tokyo's main shopping district. The ominous clouds which had been gathering for the past few days had turned a dark, unnatural shade of purple. He could feel the presence of evil in the air, but as a human, he could no longer do anything about it. He had no powers anymore since his rebirth; the Erisawas had kindly provided a foster-home for a supposed amnesiac wandering the streets a few months ago, without knowing about his true past.

Somewhere at this moment, in a parallel dimension, he knew Cure White and Cure Black were fighting his former master. He had sent them a vision – using up the last vestiges of his old power – warning them to get to safety in the Garden of Light, but who knew if those stubborn girls would listen...it would be just like them to be heroic and stick it out even with the risk of getting killed... He looked up into the pea-soupy clouds and sent a prayer to the Queen of Light, the first prayer of his life.

_Please let Honoka be all right._

At that moment – he would always think afterward that it simply couldn't have been coincidence – the clouds dispersed, almost in a matter of seconds. A brilliant sunray broke through the blanket, illuminating the city and making it beautiful in spite of pollution, neon signs, filth and everything else. All of Tokyo seemed to shine miraculously, and the brightest sunbeam of all shone down on two young women standing on a rooftop: one dressed in black, one in white.

He knew what that meant. The Dark King had been defeated; victory belonged to Pretty Cure.

They spotted each other immediately – Honoka would have known Kiriya anywhere, no matter what he looked like. For a moment, she could do nothing but stand there, staring down at him, many months' worth of emotion whirling and tumbling inside her heart.

"It's – Nagisa, I can't believe it!"

"Huh?" Nagisa looked over at her friend in concern. Honoka was shaking like a leaf and her cheeks were glowing, with an expression she had never worn before.

"_Kiriya-kun!!!_"

The cup of Coke dropped unheeded from his fingers; oh, how he knew that voice. He had heard her calling his name countless times, in nightmares...but now the tone of her voice was altogether new. Instead of despair, his name was being called with joy, and with love.

He looked up and there was Honoka, quiet and polite Honoka who never did anything on impulse, jumping off the ten-storey building. She spun head-over-heels, tucked into a tidy ball, making every passserby stare and exclaim in wonder at this daring act of acrobatics. (Mipple in the bag gave a little squeak of fright which no one heard.)

With the ease of long practice, she landed on her feet right in front of him, with the heavy boots of her costume easily absorbing the shock.

"Honoka..." He was at a loss for words; he had thought of her and missed her for so long ... she was even lovelier than he remembered.

"Honoka, I missed you so much," he said impulsively. "And I'm so sorry for that day – "

"It doesn't matter," she interrupted, knowing she was about to cry. "We're together now, aren't we?"

"Yes," he whispered. "We're together." And he did something he had been longing to do for so long – he reached out and pulled her close to him for a hug.

She wrapped her arms around him, feeling more safe and warm and protected than ever before, not even with her parents. (Mipple burst into tears, but kept them tactfully silent so as not to disturb the couple.)

Suddenly Honoka realized there was another person hugging her; it was Nagisa, who had left the roof in a more conventional fashion.

"This is so romantic," she said wildly, somewhere between laughing and crying. "Kiriya-kun, I'm so happy to see you! And you couldn't have timed it better either. Oh, you have no idea how worried we were, especially Honoka. Maybe you can finally put some color in her cheeks. But I guess you've already done it, huh? You're glowing, Honoka. Hehe, I guess I'd better leave you two alone. Laters!"

She let go of Honoka and dashed away, already dialing her cell phone to tell Shiho and Rina the exciting news that Honoka had landed a boyfriend before any of them.

Honoka and Kiriya looked at each other and laughed.


End file.
